We Really Do Need Major Music Labels (Part One)

When was the last time you heard a song you knew would become an instant classic? When I ask myself this question I think back to the summer of 2006 and the Kooks’ hit anthem ‘Naive’, a song which resonated with my hormonal teen desires. Or perhaps something from Radiohead’s latest effort, ‘In Rainbows’, a masterpiece that ushered in a new philosophy around distribution: the ‘pay what you want’ model. I saw the band in concert the next year and it was a truly mind-blowing performance. Since that show, though, I have seen only The Chemical Brothers in concert at Kensington Olympia – that’s one show in almost two years. From somebody who once loved music and embroiled himself in its culture I have rather begun to seep away into the bathroom rug and there stagnate. So evidently something has changed. But just what exactly? Read Full